Beautiful
by WyldClaw
Summary: one shot. what did Whitewing (then Whitepaw) and Brightheart talk about when they were collecting herbs for Leafpool in sunset? Whitepaw's pov. Brightheart/Cloudtail pairing slight Whitepaw/Shrewpaw hints. hope you like it


Beautiful by WyldClaw

Plot: what did Whitewing (then Whitepaw) and Brightheart talk about when they were collecting herbs for Leafpool in sunset? Don't own anyone or daisy would be back at the horseplace. This is in Whitepaw's POV. Please read and review. Thanks. Oh yeah I made up the parts about Shrewpaw having the bellyache, Swiftpaw having a temper and Brightheart using her techniques to help train the apprentices.

AAAAAAAAA

I nervously followed my ginger and white mother Brightheart out of camp. After the badger attack I was worried about any other creatures attacking my new home. I noticed that she seemed to be a hurry to get away from there as fast as she could. I padded up to her good side. "Mot- I mean Brightheart? Why are we rushing from the camp?"

"W-we need to find herbs for Cinder-" she stopped herself. " I mean Leafpool so she can get to healing." She blinked a few times. "Sorry . It's just … hard to imagine my sister is gone."

I nuzzled her. In addition to being ThunderClan's medicine cat for countless seasons Cinderpelt has been Brightheart's littermate. "I miss her too. But she may be gone in body but her spirits all around us. She wouldn't want us to mourn her death. She'd be all 'I didn't sacrifice my life to see you mope around. You shouldn't mourn me- be sad for the destruction those badgers caused.' "

She purred with amusement. " You should have been her apprentice. That was a wonderful heartfelt speech."

My whiskers twitched. "Nah, I wasn't cut out to be a medicine cat. I'm just observant. Brightheart, what kind of herbs are we looking for?"

She purred gently. "Well, Whitepaw, Leafpool needs to restock up on her supplies. we're focusing on finding watermint right now . Do you remember what watermint looks like?"

"Um. " I thought hard as we reached the edge of the lake. A memory came to me of the old camp when Shrewpaw had a bellyache and Cinderpelt was teaching Leafpool about the herbs. "Isn't watermint a green leafy plant used for belly aches?"

She licked my cheek. "That's right."

"I remember that cause I stopped in to see how Shrewpaw was doing after he had that stomach-ache back in the old forest". The memory of my best friend stung like a claw to the heart. _Great StarClan,_ _I miss him so much._

We were silent until we reached the lakeside. The water was calmly lapping against the side of the cliff. Brightheart knew what I was thinking and motioned with her tail for me to sit down next to her. "You miss him a lot don't you?"

I nodded. "It comes and goes. I haven't thought about him in a while but..."

My mother brushed her tail against my fur. "It's okay to miss someone but you have to remember that they are watching over you in StarClan. It's been seasons but I still miss Swiftpaw. " I knew she lost her best friend Swiftpaw in the dog attack that took her eye and ear when she was an apprentice. "I remember when you were born I saw his spirit or something like it. He gave me a big smile and then vanished. " She sighed at the memory. "We used to talk about what our future kits might look like."

"you really loved him didn't you?" I asked.

"well I don't know if it was love per say .. we were really close friends but I think it was just a crush. He was handsome. "

my ears flicked as I remembered my own gone-too-soon- friend Shrewpaw. "Yeah.. I felt the same way about Shrewpaw. When we were traveling on the Great Journey, there were times that I didn't think I could go on from lack of food and I thought heard Shrewpaw giving me encouragement in my ear. I wished that he could have been there with me for real. "

"I know it's tough Whitepaw but you just have to think of the happy times with them. " she purred. "Shrewpaw and Swiftpaw are probably watching us from StarClan, wanting us to be happy."

My whiskers twitched and I managed a little smile " That's true he wouldn't want me to be sad. I can't just hear him now" I lowered my voice and imitated him, "don't cry Whitepaw. You know that the Clan needs you more than ever in this new territory cause you're one of the only apprentices. You got to make sure Cloudtail doesn't claw any one's ears off"

Brightheart chuckled. "That's true. He has such a short temper. It's a good thing that you didn't get his tongue or his temper. "

I twitched my whiskers in amusement. Cloudtail had perhaps the sharpest tongue in all of ThunderClan. Thornclaw said, not within father's hearing that between a fight with a badger and a fight Cloudtail, the fight with my father would be much worse. "Don't make me blush- it doesn't do justice to my white fur. Brackenfur says that I got you and Cloudtail's tracking abilities. He says that I'm a great hunter"

"Well, then let's test your hunting skills" . she winked at me. We got up. " Pretend that the watermint is a piece of prey and let me know when you find some. I'll look for some mallow."

..

I nodded, proud to show off my hunting skills. I crouched down to the ground and moved forward on my belly, alert for any sounds. My white pelt didn't exactly blend in with the green grass. _Why couldn't it be leaf-bare? Or snowing?_ I silently thought, feeling dirt and dust stick to my white fur. I moved as quietly as I could, pretending that the plant was a mouse. A light breeze ruffled my fur and I caught a familiar minty smell.

 _Gotcha!_ I thought as I quickened my pace. A huge patch of the plant was on a little cliff overlooking the lake. I padded up to the plant and breathed in the smell. Carefully I bit off as many leaves as I could by their stems and carried them in my mouth. Even though the watermint smell was in my nose, I could still make out my mother's scent not too far away. I followed her scent but as I did I heard her softly mewing to herself.

I found her about four rabbit hops away. She was in a little clearing and I noticed that she had clawed the dirt really hard and was talking to herself. I caught the names "Cloudtail and Daisy" in her voice.

I knew right away what was going on. She was angry he had discarded her like a piece of crowfood and spent more time with Daisy the horse place cats rather than with her. _Poor mother . It's not her fault_ I thought.

I placed the precious watermint leaves down and padded up to her. "Brightheart, are you okay."

She turned to face me, her good eye wet. "No, dear, I'm not." We sat back down. "It's your father."

I knew that she was in a bad mood when she called him 'your father'. "You don't like that he's spending time with Daisy and not you?" I cut to the point.

She nodded. "Its just, well. What if he doesn't love me any more? Me, the scarred one-eyed ugly she cat"

"Don't say that about yourself, Brightheart. You're not ugly, you're a beautiful cat both on the inside and out " I told her.

Even though she only had one eye and one ear, she was still lovely. She looked at me, tears in her eyes. ' "Thanks Whitepaw. But what does it matter if Cloudtail hates me?"

"You're the key to his heart. Why would father dislike you?"

She sighed. "It's just… He's so into that stupid horseplace cat that he seems to have forgotten all about me. That stupid piece of fox-dung" she spat at the ground. "Is it because she isn't scarred and has both eyes and ears?" she sobbed.

I nuzzled her fur. "Don't cry, I'm sure Cloudtail will come around sooner or later."

She sighed. " But she's beautiful on the inside and the outside unlike me. " she spat at the ground again.

I rubbed my pelt against hers. " Don't say that- you are beautiful both on inside and out. Who helped Ferncloud take care of Spiderleg and Shrewpaw when they were kits? Who survived being kit-napped by ShadowClan?" She blushed. . I remembered something I had heard from the other warriors. "You were able to use the new fighting moves in the BloodClan battle."

She chuckled. "You should have seen it Whitepaw. Those BloodClan cats were just as impressed with my moves as the other Lion Clan cats. I helped Sorreltail, Sootfur and Rainwhisker out by teaching them in the training hollow with them. "

"I'm sure they really appreciated it."

She looked down at me. "They did. Whitepaw. Their father Whitestorm couldn't believe how well they listened and did. He was also impressed with me. Said he couldn't believe how amazing I was. "

"That's awesome." I had heard many good things about the kindhearted former deputy who had been her mentor

"When I was helping them out I saw Cloudtail " her eye went misty at the sound of his name, "looking at me like I was the only she-cat in his world. He said that he was so proud to be my mate. The look on his face when Cinderpelt said he was going to be a father was wonderful. I thought his yowl was going to reach the Moonstone."

" I don't think he's that loud. Maybe the RiverClan cats heard him though."

My mother seemed much happier as she recalled the good times with Cloudtail. "Fair point. Do you remember what you called him when you first spoke and opened your eyes?"

"Wasn't it something like Crowtail or Coudfur? " I asked.

"Indeed."

"'Remember how he used to pretend to be a big ShadowClan invader and Shrewpaw, Spiderleg and I would attack him?"

"Or he'd find honeycombs for you during patrols?"

"And come back with bee stings on his nose and sticky honey all over his fur?" I chuckled at the memory.

"He'd also find the softest bird feathers for my nest and the fattest squirrel to share when i was pregnant with you," She added. "But that's in the past. Now… it's like I don't exist."

"Don't worry Brightheart," I purred " just think of the good times with Cloudtail when you see him with her"

She licked my cheek. " Thanks, dear. It's just hurts really badly when I see him with her. Even when we were recuperating after the badger attack, he gave her herbs when we actually did the fighting. "

"You were wonderful in that battle" I commented. "If I were those badgers I would have run away as fast as I could."

She purred with delight. "You weren't bad yourself."

"If Brambleclaw hadn't told that badger was Midnight I'd have shredded her fur. Do you think Cinderpelt's spirit saw me fight?" I looked at the sky. Somewhere up there in Silverpelt was my aunt.

"I'm sure she did." Brightheart reassured me. "Along with Swiftpaw and Shrewpaw "

We sat in silence for a while watching the breeze blow some leaves and petals onto the lake. Both us missed our best friends and family who were taken way too soon-for me Shrewpaw, Swiftpaw for her, Cinderpelt for both of us. . I licked her cheek. "Mom?"

"Hmm?"

"Don't worry about dad. I'm sure he'll come around. After all, you're one of the kindest, bravest she cats in ThunderClan and an amazing fighter. If he doesn't realize what he's missing, then he's nothing but- but a mouse-brained fox-dung chubby fur ball" I ended.

She chuckled at my insult and I joined in. I looked at her- I didn't see why Cloudtail was bothering with Daisy when he had Brightheart. She was a courageous, incredible true wonderful warrior whose disability never stopped her. She purred with amusement as she licked me. "Thanks, sweetheart. You've made me feel lots better."

She got up and I followed suit. There was that familiar twinkle back in her eye again. "I think Swiftpaw would have liked you"

"Really?"

"I'm sure" She nodded. "He had a stubborn streak but once he got an idea into his head, he didn't let go."

"He must have given Goldenflower a tough time when he was a kit"

"Probably. Speaking of kits, have you seen Sorreltail's kits yet?"

I shook my head. "I haven't gotten around to seeing them. I've heard that they are beautiful. "

"Brackenfur's so proud of them. I think that he's going to make a wonderful father."

I nodded in agreement. "They both deserve some happiness in their lives because of Cinderpelt and Sootfur."

"I heard that she named one of them after Cinderpelt"

A smile grew across my mother's face. "That's wonderful of her . "

"Let's go visit them after we bring the watermint to Leafpool. " She noticed my pile of water mint. "Great StarClan, Whitepaw! Did you find that by yourself?"

I beamed, "sure did. There's a big patch of it right near the bank. I'll show it to you. " I picked up my pile and padded in the direction of the plant.

The end.


End file.
